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Just over a year ago I wrote about how Social Media will help to unite Marketing, PR, Customer Service, HR and more. said it would help us “all get along better as we align around customer needs. Recently I was invited to dive a bit deeper on this by Stacey Acevero , Social Media Community Managerof Vocus’ PRWeb. Stacey hosts the weekly twitter chat, #PRWebChat. But quality first. MORE

As some of you know, I’m not an avid Facebook fan, but as a business owner, I don’t ignore the fact that so many people use it daily. There are certain pitfalls with it, like with any social networking site. You don’t want to get caught up wasting time if you’re running a business. But you can’t ignore the numbers of people there everyday. Hope you “like it! MORE

It was way, way back in 1993 that Don Peppers and Martha Rogers published ‘ The One-to-One Future ’. For marketing practitioners everywhere, it was (and arguably still is) essential reading – introducing concepts such as ‘mass customisation’ and encouraging us to manage customers rather than products or services. We were promised that One-to-One marketing would increase the value of our customer base by establishing a learning relationship with each and every customer. So fast forward 18 years, you’d have hoped we would be living the dream, wouldn’t you? Back then we had excuses. MORE

There’s no reason, really, why ecommerce merchants cannot improve the search engine visibility of their websites. That’s because there are many free tools to gauge the search-engine-optimization health of those sites, and suggest SEO corrections to them. In this screencast below, I’ll review many tools — most are free, a few are not — that merchants can use. – How to Check Your Website’s SEO Health. News & Notes MORE

Image via Wikipedia. In my presentation on Sunday to the IEEE Board of Directors on organizational social media, I got a great question from a member of the board, "Our organization is not like the others that you've worked with. We have many local chapters that we can't order around. How can we work with them to succeed in social media?". Social Media Marketing Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Social media MORE

B2B Lead Generation | The Lead Generation Assessment. Feeling lousy? Go to the doctor and get a checkup – for you. Business feeling lousy? Check out the Lead Generation Assessment Service – and get a checkup – for the business. The #1 problem in businesses that sell products to other businesses is the lack of quality sales leads, according to experts like MarketingSherpa. MORE

B2B Lead Generation | Free content at Find New Customers. “The content at Find New Customers is so good, you really should make it a pay site.. That has been suggested several times. Problem is, that is not our business strategy. We use the Elevation Principle (as Mike Stelzner spoke of in this book Launch.) What will you find at Find New Customers today? What do you think? MORE

“Always show an image of the offer.” It’s a rule I quote often, one repeated to me ad nauseum many years ago by an early mentor and long-time direct marketing veteran. The logic: whatever it is you want your reader to download, request, order, or register for, a visual image of that offer makes it seem more “real,” more tangible. Still, the same principle applies. Add a drop shadow. MORE

Summer is upon us! Kids are out of school, swimming pools are open, parks, picnics and dogs who catch frisbees are all more appealing than the work sitting in your inbox. Sometimes you just need that jolt of inspiration to get you back on track. To get you started the Savvy Sisters have gone ahead and grabbed out each of our favorites to get you that quick fix while the other 95 are downloading. MORE

You Manage What You Measure. This should be a call to ensure you measure your social media activities, and to measure them correctly. One of the challenges of measuring social media ROI is the return comes in many different forms. As companies develop social media plans and programs, anticipating the ways social media will deliver ROI is a challenge few have addressed. They should be. MORE

As I said in my last post, I am dedicating my next few entries to the B2B marketing research process since understanding can help you garner valuable findings to use in your B2B marketing strategy. suggest interviewing your target audience in their own space, if possible. This makes the interviewees feel more comfortable, allowing them to open up, which in turn can lead to more valuable findings. MORE

I recently had the privilege of developing with Focus.com the new graphic below – Marketing Automation by the Numbers. It is a compilation of relevant and frankly, very compelling statistics about the state of the marketing automation industry, its business impact and future growth. Hope you enjoy and find it useful in your pursuit of marketing excellence. Marketing Automation by the Numbers. MORE

As I’ve said many times, most of the top business development reps here at AG have a varied skill-set. In some cases they couldn’t get any more different. Some have a much different approach than others, but at the end of the day they all find a way to produce actionable sales opportunities for our partners. The one common trait that they all share is a consistent and deliberate approach to how they attack each prospect. Back in those days, our clients would drop a 50 page PowerPoint presentation and a couple of technical briefs in our lap. Sales 101 baby! MORE

Guest post by Jeremy Floyd. Something magical happens when I set foot in a house that I want to buy. But something odd happens after I take possession of the home. Seth Godin might call it the resistance. I will just call it the excuses: “Well, I don’t really need to remove that wall. Now, obviously, I am no Holmes on Homes , and this post has to eventually talk about business right? MORE

Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition. is the new book by Michael L. Stelzner and you can own it for free. Launch. Why do you want this book? As one of a select few bloggers invited to review this book, they sent us free copy to give away. But if you’re looking for a better way to reach the business heights you’ve only dreamed of, start reading Launch. MORE

B2B Lead Generation | The exciting world of B2B marketing. Editors Note: We attended a webinar with a demonstration of Peformable, so we understand the value a lot better. We wish to update this post.). Hubspot is strongest at the top of the funnel, which they call “Tofu – things like social media, keywords, blogging and search optimization. Hubspot is decent at the middle of the funnel, which they call “MoFu - landing pages, lead nurturing, emails and lead intelligence. We also saw a demonstration of the Performable product – strong at workflow. “). MORE

On June 21, Brad Coffey wrote a guest blog post on HubSpot founder Dharmesh Shah’s blog, OnStartups.com. Within a day, the article had 446 tweets, 18,000 visits, 35 comments, and was reposted on the CNNMoney blog. And those numbers have increased since – proof again that blogs have lasting power. So who is Brad Coffey , and why all the interest? That’s the point. Use your network. MORE

Social networks aren't anything new. Today, however, Google made news with its biggest attempt to date to take hold of the social networking market. After a year of development, Google+ began rolling out to early users today. It will be a long time before we know if Google+ is a true social networking competitor and worth the time and effort of marketers. Circles+. Video Chat and Photos. MORE

“Here it is. I’m dead, and this is my last post to my blog.. I’ve been haunted since I read those words a few weeks ago. Jenn Whinnem had hosted a discussion on {grow} about our digital footprint and the implications when we die. Johnny Russo , added a link to a post by Derek K. Since that day, Derek’s post has been pounding in my head. When Perhaps tomorrow. Articles. MORE

Marketing Update from Hubspot.tv is a weekly program about inbound marketing. The latest episode includes a story about how the FBI used inbound marketing techniques to capture fugitive Whitey Bulger after 16 years of looking for him. View Original Article MORE

A blog can provide a number of lasting benefits for your business. It's a great way to boost your website's ability to get found in search engines , it's an awesome tool for exhibiting industry thought leadership, and it truly helps to encourage discussion and community-building around your brand. But what's even better than all that? LEADS! That's right. You just have to know how to do it right. MORE

. Everyone talks about "solutions" these days but few seem to invest in the changes necessary to move beyond the rhetoric. For example, truly developing, marketing, and selling integrated B2B solutions typically requires both a strong focus from the top down and a new alignment from the bottom up. Far too often, companies talk the solutions talk but fail to walk the walk. They don't invest in new mechanisms to work across business units, new ways to connect with customers, and new skills for selling higher value offerings. Walking the Walk. But you need to know what matters to clients. MORE

Tweet When Brian Carroll and I present webinars on adding the human touch to lead nurturing, like the ones last month for the B2B Lead Roundtable and Marketo , we inevitably get these questions: “How often should we call? How often should we email? What should we do first?” ” The last question always guides me to the best responses for the first two. Second, emails cannot do discovery. MORE

Why does someone purchase a product or service from you? Because they trust that they will get what they pay for. They trust that it will do whatever it is that you’ve claimed. Similarly, people build relationships with people they trust, online and off. Short Term Gains for Long Term Loss. If you do offer something in a promotion, make sure you follow through. Your Reputation is Key. MORE

Quizzes, particularly personality tests, are an immensely popular way to engage your users. You already know that an engaging personality test both entertains your users and generates viral buzz for your company,?but but did you know they can provide you with insightful, personal information about your users? Your quiz includes questions designed to reveal the test-taker's true personality. MORE

by Jesse Noyes | Tweet this If you follow social media, online influence or Facebook marketing, chances are you heard the news last week between Klout and Involver. Klout measures influence on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and, most recently , LinkedIn. Involver is a social media marketing company. The connection between social media influence and Facebook marketing made headlines. MORE

Note from Casey Hibbard:While I’m out on maternity leave until the end of July, this blog will feature a summer guest blogger series with content from experts in marketing, organizational storytelling and writing. By Michael Margolis. Gone are the days of “Just the facts, M’am.” Instead we’re all trying to suss each other out in the relationship economy. Do I share something in common with you? MORE

by Jesse Noyes | Tweet this For years, Austin, TX-based HomeAway has been helping vacationers find private home rentals that can be rented for a month or even a day. Now the company is looking to find a home of its own on the public market. It’s just the latest IPO from an Internet-centric company. Enjoy! Revenue Rising. HomeAway generated revenue of $167.9 million and $10.2 Fun With Funding. MORE

Just a few short weeks ago, I joined OptiMine Software as the first director of marketing. OptiMine is a 3 yr old technology company that develops and sells bid optimization software for companies engaged in large (+$30K monthly spend) paid search campaigns. As their first member of the marketing department I walked into what is, for all intents and purposes, a blank slate. OptiMine is a true start up and the marketing plan I presented to senior management today is the first in our short history. Thanks to Mark Suster’s article, I will benefit from his experience and his 10 lessons. MORE

This is a guest blog post by landing page optimization consultant, best selling author, and speaker Bryan Eisenberg. Your Facebook fan page is hopping. You have fresh & engaging content. You and your customers are sharing and commenting on content. The 7 steps below work for ecommerce, B2B and even publishers. I’m also going to share some examples from each as well. Connect with HubSpot MORE

While marketers in most other industries are lighting up the dance floor with social media, those in highly regulated industries are hanging around the punch bowl, no doubt feeling a bit left out of the party. And it really shouldn’t be any big surprise: if you’re in banking or securities, there are strict restrictions on [.]. B2B Web Strategy Social Media MORE

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Note from Casey Hibbard:While I’m out on maternity leave until the end of July, this blog will feature a summer guest blogger series with content from experts in marketing, organizational storytelling and writing. By Michael Margolis. Gone are the days of “Just the facts, M’am.” Instead we’re all trying to suss each other out in the relationship economy. Do I share something in common with you?

Summer is upon us! Kids are out of school, swimming pools are open, parks, picnics and dogs who catch frisbees are all more appealing than the work sitting in your inbox. Sometimes you just need that jolt of inspiration to get you back on track. To get you started the Savvy Sisters have gone ahead and grabbed out each of our favorites to get you that quick fix while the other 95 are downloading.

B2B Lead Generation | Free content at Find New Customers. “The content at Find New Customers is so good, you really should make it a pay site.. That has been suggested several times. Problem is, that is not our business strategy. We use the Elevation Principle (as Mike Stelzner spoke of in this book Launch.) What will you find at Find New Customers today? What do you think?

I recently had the privilege of developing with Focus.com the new graphic below – Marketing Automation by the Numbers. It is a compilation of relevant and frankly, very compelling statistics about the state of the marketing automation industry, its business impact and future growth. Hope you enjoy and find it useful in your pursuit of marketing excellence. Marketing Automation by the Numbers.

You Manage What You Measure. This should be a call to ensure you measure your social media activities, and to measure them correctly. One of the challenges of measuring social media ROI is the return comes in many different forms. As companies develop social media plans and programs, anticipating the ways social media will deliver ROI is a challenge few have addressed. They should be.

Tweet When Brian Carroll and I present webinars on adding the human touch to lead nurturing, like the ones last month for the B2B Lead Roundtable and Marketo , we inevitably get these questions: “How often should we call? How often should we email? What should we do first?” ” The last question always guides me to the best responses for the first two. Second, emails cannot do discovery.

by Jesse Noyes | Tweet this If you follow social media, online influence or Facebook marketing, chances are you heard the news last week between Klout and Involver. Klout measures influence on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and, most recently , LinkedIn. Involver is a social media marketing company. The connection between social media influence and Facebook marketing made headlines.

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You Manage What You Measure. This should be a call to ensure you measure your social media activities, and to measure them correctly. One of the challenges of measuring social media ROI is the return comes in many different forms. As companies develop social media plans and programs, anticipating the ways social media will deliver ROI is a challenge few have addressed. They should be.

Tweet When Brian Carroll and I present webinars on adding the human touch to lead nurturing, like the ones last month for the B2B Lead Roundtable and Marketo , we inevitably get these questions: “How often should we call? How often should we email? What should we do first?” ” The last question always guides me to the best responses for the first two. Second, emails cannot do discovery.

by Jesse Noyes | Tweet this If you follow social media, online influence or Facebook marketing, chances are you heard the news last week between Klout and Involver. Klout measures influence on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and, most recently , LinkedIn. Involver is a social media marketing company. The connection between social media influence and Facebook marketing made headlines.

“Here it is. I’m dead, and this is my last post to my blog.. I’ve been haunted since I read those words a few weeks ago. Jenn Whinnem had hosted a discussion on {grow} about our digital footprint and the implications when we die. Johnny Russo , added a link to a post by Derek K. Since that day, Derek’s post has been pounding in my head. When Perhaps tomorrow. Articles.

As some of you know, I’m not an avid Facebook fan, but as a business owner, I don’t ignore the fact that so many people use it daily. There are certain pitfalls with it, like with any social networking site. You don’t want to get caught up wasting time if you’re running a business. But you can’t ignore the numbers of people there everyday. Hope you “like it!

Guest post by Jeremy Floyd. Something magical happens when I set foot in a house that I want to buy. But something odd happens after I take possession of the home. Seth Godin might call it the resistance. I will just call it the excuses: “Well, I don’t really need to remove that wall. Now, obviously, I am no Holmes on Homes , and this post has to eventually talk about business right?

Why does someone purchase a product or service from you? Because they trust that they will get what they pay for. They trust that it will do whatever it is that you’ve claimed. Similarly, people build relationships with people they trust, online and off. Short Term Gains for Long Term Loss. If you do offer something in a promotion, make sure you follow through. Your Reputation is Key.

25 B2B marketing thought leaders answer the question "What do you expect to B2B marketers to be doing more of or differently in 2016?" The results are amazing insights around content marketing, achieving business results, alignment, employee advocacy, new technologies, customer experience and more.

Just over a year ago I wrote about how Social Media will help to unite Marketing, PR, Customer Service, HR and more. said it would help us “all get along better as we align around customer needs. Recently I was invited to dive a bit deeper on this by Stacey Acevero , Social Media Community Managerof Vocus’ PRWeb. Stacey hosts the weekly twitter chat, #PRWebChat. But quality first.

by Jesse Noyes | Tweet this For years, Austin, TX-based HomeAway has been helping vacationers find private home rentals that can be rented for a month or even a day. Now the company is looking to find a home of its own on the public market. It’s just the latest IPO from an Internet-centric company. Enjoy! Revenue Rising. HomeAway generated revenue of $167.9 million and $10.2 Fun With Funding.

Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition. is the new book by Michael L. Stelzner and you can own it for free. Launch. Why do you want this book? As one of a select few bloggers invited to review this book, they sent us free copy to give away. But if you’re looking for a better way to reach the business heights you’ve only dreamed of, start reading Launch.

“Always show an image of the offer.” It’s a rule I quote often, one repeated to me ad nauseum many years ago by an early mentor and long-time direct marketing veteran. The logic: whatever it is you want your reader to download, request, order, or register for, a visual image of that offer makes it seem more “real,” more tangible. Still, the same principle applies. Add a drop shadow.

B2B Lead Generation | The Lead Generation Assessment. Feeling lousy? Go to the doctor and get a checkup – for you. Business feeling lousy? Check out the Lead Generation Assessment Service – and get a checkup – for the business. The #1 problem in businesses that sell products to other businesses is the lack of quality sales leads, according to experts like MarketingSherpa.

. Everyone talks about "solutions" these days but few seem to invest in the changes necessary to move beyond the rhetoric. For example, truly developing, marketing, and selling integrated B2B solutions typically requires both a strong focus from the top down and a new alignment from the bottom up. Far too often, companies talk the solutions talk but fail to walk the walk. They don't invest in new mechanisms to work across business units, new ways to connect with customers, and new skills for selling higher value offerings. Walking the Walk. But you need to know what matters to clients.

Image via Wikipedia. In my presentation on Sunday to the IEEE Board of Directors on organizational social media, I got a great question from a member of the board, "Our organization is not like the others that you've worked with. We have many local chapters that we can't order around. How can we work with them to succeed in social media?". Social Media Marketing Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Social media

As I said in my last post, I am dedicating my next few entries to the B2B marketing research process since understanding can help you garner valuable findings to use in your B2B marketing strategy. suggest interviewing your target audience in their own space, if possible. This makes the interviewees feel more comfortable, allowing them to open up, which in turn can lead to more valuable findings.

25 B2B marketing thought leaders answer the question "What do you expect to B2B marketers to be doing more of or differently in 2016?" The results are amazing insights around content marketing, achieving business results, alignment, employee advocacy, new technologies, customer experience and more.

This is a guest blog post by landing page optimization consultant, best selling author, and speaker Bryan Eisenberg. Your Facebook fan page is hopping. You have fresh & engaging content. You and your customers are sharing and commenting on content. The 7 steps below work for ecommerce, B2B and even publishers. I’m also going to share some examples from each as well. Connect with HubSpot

While marketers in most other industries are lighting up the dance floor with social media, those in highly regulated industries are hanging around the punch bowl, no doubt feeling a bit left out of the party. And it really shouldn’t be any big surprise: if you’re in banking or securities, there are strict restrictions on [.]. B2B Web Strategy Social Media

Marketing Update from Hubspot.tv is a weekly program about inbound marketing. The latest episode includes a story about how the FBI used inbound marketing techniques to capture fugitive Whitey Bulger after 16 years of looking for him. View Original Article

There’s no reason, really, why ecommerce merchants cannot improve the search engine visibility of their websites. That’s because there are many free tools to gauge the search-engine-optimization health of those sites, and suggest SEO corrections to them. In this screencast below, I’ll review many tools — most are free, a few are not — that merchants can use. – How to Check Your Website’s SEO Health. News & Notes

As I’ve said many times, most of the top business development reps here at AG have a varied skill-set. In some cases they couldn’t get any more different. Some have a much different approach than others, but at the end of the day they all find a way to produce actionable sales opportunities for our partners. The one common trait that they all share is a consistent and deliberate approach to how they attack each prospect. Back in those days, our clients would drop a 50 page PowerPoint presentation and a couple of technical briefs in our lap. Sales 101 baby!

B2B Lead Generation | The exciting world of B2B marketing. Editors Note: We attended a webinar with a demonstration of Peformable, so we understand the value a lot better. We wish to update this post.). Hubspot is strongest at the top of the funnel, which they call “Tofu – things like social media, keywords, blogging and search optimization. Hubspot is decent at the middle of the funnel, which they call “MoFu - landing pages, lead nurturing, emails and lead intelligence. We also saw a demonstration of the Performable product – strong at workflow. “).

A blog can provide a number of lasting benefits for your business. It's a great way to boost your website's ability to get found in search engines , it's an awesome tool for exhibiting industry thought leadership, and it truly helps to encourage discussion and community-building around your brand. But what's even better than all that? LEADS! That's right. You just have to know how to do it right.

Quizzes, particularly personality tests, are an immensely popular way to engage your users. You already know that an engaging personality test both entertains your users and generates viral buzz for your company,?but but did you know they can provide you with insightful, personal information about your users? Your quiz includes questions designed to reveal the test-taker's true personality.

25 B2B marketing thought leaders answer the question "What do you expect to B2B marketers to be doing more of or differently in 2016?" The results are amazing insights around content marketing, achieving business results, alignment, employee advocacy, new technologies, customer experience and more.

On June 21, Brad Coffey wrote a guest blog post on HubSpot founder Dharmesh Shah’s blog, OnStartups.com. Within a day, the article had 446 tweets, 18,000 visits, 35 comments, and was reposted on the CNNMoney blog. And those numbers have increased since – proof again that blogs have lasting power. So who is Brad Coffey , and why all the interest? That’s the point. Use your network.

Just a few short weeks ago, I joined OptiMine Software as the first director of marketing. OptiMine is a 3 yr old technology company that develops and sells bid optimization software for companies engaged in large (+$30K monthly spend) paid search campaigns. As their first member of the marketing department I walked into what is, for all intents and purposes, a blank slate. OptiMine is a true start up and the marketing plan I presented to senior management today is the first in our short history. Thanks to Mark Suster’s article, I will benefit from his experience and his 10 lessons.

Social networks aren't anything new. Today, however, Google made news with its biggest attempt to date to take hold of the social networking market. After a year of development, Google+ began rolling out to early users today. It will be a long time before we know if Google+ is a true social networking competitor and worth the time and effort of marketers. Circles+. Video Chat and Photos.

It was way, way back in 1993 that Don Peppers and Martha Rogers published ‘ The One-to-One Future ’. For marketing practitioners everywhere, it was (and arguably still is) essential reading – introducing concepts such as ‘mass customisation’ and encouraging us to manage customers rather than products or services. We were promised that One-to-One marketing would increase the value of our customer base by establishing a learning relationship with each and every customer. So fast forward 18 years, you’d have hoped we would be living the dream, wouldn’t you? Back then we had excuses.